Door-opener



` (No Model.)

A.. J. WOODIN. DOOR OPENER.

N0.555,993-. PateritedMamo, 1896.

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DOOR=OPENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 555,993, dated March 10, 1896.

Application filed February 26, 1895. Serial No. 539,806. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concern.-

Be it known that I, ARTHUR J. VVOODN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Park Rapids, in the county of Hubbard and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and useL ful Door-Opener, of which the following is a specification.

The purpose of the present invention is the provision of an attachment which can be readily applied to the fastenings of doors, gates, and other closures, whereby the said fastenings may be readily operated by means of the foot without requiring the application or intervention of the hand to open the door when it is desired to pass through the same.

In the preferred form of construction the attachment consists, essentially, of an arm to be applied to the knob or latch of a door-fastener and a rod connected with said arm and having its lower end formed into a rest for the foot to obtaina purchase upon when it is required to open the door, said rod working in suitable guides or keepers and held in a normal position by a suitably-disposed spring.

For a full understanding of the invention reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, and the letters of reference thereon, in connection with the following description.

Figure l is aperspective view of the lower portion of a door, showing the application of the invention. Fig. 2 is a detail view showing the manner of securing the knob to its spindle by means of the arm.

The attachment consists of the arm A, which is designed to be attached to the knob or latch of the door-fastening, and a rod D, having attachment at its upper end to the said arm A and having its lower end bent outward at right angles and formed into a loop or foot-rest O to receive the pressure of the foot when it is desired to open the door. These parts A and B are preferably formed of heavy wire and are secured together by interlocking eyes a and b at their meeting ends. The rod B operates and is guided in its movement by suitable keepers D, which are attached by nails or screws to the door F.. A spiral spring F is mounted upon the upper portion of the rod B, and serves to hold the attachment in such relative position that the door-fastening will operate in the ordinary manner. This spring is confined between one of the keepers D and a pin fpassing through a transverse opening in the rod l B. Obviously the end of the spring F may pass through the said rod so as to form a point of resistance for one end of the spring, thereby dispensing with the use of the pin f.

In applying the invention to door-fastenin gs having the usual knob G and spindle II the screw usually employed for fastening the knob to the spindle is removed and the end of the arm A is threaded and otherwise constructed to screw into the threaded opening provided in the spindle I-I, and serves the same purpose as the fastening-screw which has been removed. This arrangement of the parts also provides positive attachment between the said arm A and the door-fastening.

It will be understood that the invention is designed to be applied to any form of doorfastening, and can be adapted to the same by slight changes which will suggest themselves to the skilled mechanic. The main partssuch as the arm A and the rod B-being constructed or formed from heavy wire constitute a simple attachment which can be cheaply applied to any door or closure which it may be desired to open by means of the foot.

It is immaterial to which side of the door the attachment is applied. Ordinarily it will be located upon the outside, so that aperson may open the door to gain entrance to a house or apartment without using the handl to operate either the knob or the latch.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim isl. The combination with a knob and spindle of a door-fastening, of an arm serving to secure the knob and spindle together, and a rod having attachment with said arm and provided with a foot-rest, substantially as described.

2. The herein-specified attachment for opening doors consisting of an arm adapted to secure the knob upon its spindle, a rod having its lower end bent to form a foot-rest and engaged at its upper end with the said arm by interlocking eyes, and a spring mounted upon the said rod and arranged to hold the parts in a normal position, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ARTHUR J. WOODIN. 0Witnesses B. F. EDWARDS, BURR BLOOD.

IOO 

